This sermon was preached at St. John's, Henderson, N.C., July 7, 2013 on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
After this the Lord appointed seventy others
and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself
intended to go. He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the
laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers
into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the
midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the
road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' And if anyone
is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not,
it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever
they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house
to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set
before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God
has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome
you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings
to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of
God has come near.'
"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and
whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent
me."
The seventy returned with joy, saying,
"Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" He said to them,
"I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have
given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of
the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this,
that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in
heaven."
On
Thursday we celebrated our nation’s Independence Day. Our Declaration of Independence declared that
our Creator endowed us with the inalienable right to “life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.” A worldwide
psychological study found that people believe happiness is more important than
“meaning in life, becoming rich, or getting into heaven.”[1] Today’s passage from Luke shows us how to
find true happiness.
At first the Gospel seems to have
little to do with finding happiness.
Jesus appoints and sends out 70 of his disciples to prepare the way for
him. They are essentially advance men
laying the groundwork for his visit later.
He tells them, "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever
rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me"
(Luke 10:16). The mission of the 70 is clearly
important and deeply personal for Jesus.
Scholars are unsure why Jesus sent
out 70 disciples. This is the only
reference that we have in any of the Gospels to the 70. The 70 might represent all the nations, all
the peoples of the world. Noah had 70
descendants, from whom, according to Genesis 10, “the nations spread abroad on
the earth after the flood” (Genesis 10:32).
If you are having a hard time sleeping, read the names in Genesis 10. Jewish prophets often did what are called
sign-acts, symbolic actions, to make their points. Jesus chose 12 apostles to represent the 12
tribes of Israel, to be a new Israel. He
says in Matthew, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the
Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will
also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt 19:28). In sending out 70 disciples, Jesus reveals
that his message is for all the nations, for all the people of the world. Even more dramatically, he initiates the
creation of a new world.
The values of this new world dramatically
differ from those that dominate our world.
Jesus instructs his disciples to say when
they enter a home, “Peace to this house!” He tells them to cure the sick. Peace and healing mark the Kingdom of God. While peace and healing are all good, you
might be wondering what all of this has to do with finding happiness! So far, we haven’t heard anything about it. I’m about to get there. Happiness enters the picture when the 70
return “with joy.” They celebrate that
even the demons submit to them. It is
understandable that the 70 are happy about the success of their mission, but
Jesus tells them that external circumstances are not the true source of their
joy. He tells them to rejoice because
their names are written in heaven.
When Jesus says the names of the 70 are
written in heaven, he is referring to the book of life. According to the book of Revelation, the
people whose names are written in the book of life are those who will live
eternally with God at the end of time.
The book of life not only refers to the end of time or the next life; it
characterizes Christ’s followers in this life.
Paul says at the end of his letter to the Philippians that his
co-workers’ names are written in the book of life (Phil 4:3). The true source of the disciples’ joy is that
they are in relationship with and doing the will of the living God.
Scripture repeatedly tells us about
the joy of being in relationship with God.
1 Chronicles says, “Honor and majesty are before God; strength and joy
are in his place” (1Chron 16:27). The
psalmist tells God, “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is
fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11). Simply being in a personal relationship with
God makes our lives more joyful.
The 70 rejoiced not only because
they were followers of the living God, but also because they did God’s will. They brought the kingdom of God near to those
they met. The 70 lived Christ’s command
to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor as yourself. According to St. Augustine, the process of
learning to love God is a process of learning how to love our neighbors,
ourselves and the world, and this process of learning to love brings us joy. Theologian Ellen Charry describes this as a
"healing journey into one's soul, for each step deeper into God heals and
strengthens love."[2] The mission of the 70 was not only healing for
others but also for themselves.
While
many Episcopalians have never heard of it, the most popular Christian praise
chorus ever written is the 1993 “Shout to the Lord” by the Australian Darlene
Zschech. In the 2000s, this song was
sung by an estimated 25 – 30 million Christians every Sunday. Since you used LEVAS, when I was here last
time, which I loved, I thought you might be willing to hear it. I have the lyrics for you if you want to sing
along. You don’t have to raise your
hands in the air! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I71XhjqoHvs]
This song might not be your cup of
tea, but it illustrates the point. Zschech
wrote “Shout to the Lord” when she was at her wits end. She was struggling to raise two young
girls. Her husband’s business was
failing. Their family was financially
strapped. Zschech says, "I wrote it
when I was feeling discouraged. I felt I could either scream and pull my hair
out, or praise God. The line ‘Nothing
compares to the promise I have in you’ was something I clung to when our
circumstances seemed so bleak. I think that rings true with anyone going
through tough times." It is hard to
tell she wrote this song at such a low point in her life particularly when she
belts out, “I sing for joy at the work of Your hand/Forever I'll love You,
forever I'll stand.”[3]
Life
deals all of us good and challenging times.
In the midst of life’s ups and downs, we can always find joy in the
Lord. This does not mean that we will
feel happy every moment of the day. Far
from it, challenging times bring moments of doubt, despair and anxiety. Our joy in the Lord is not a fleeting emotion
dependent upon external circumstances. Our
joy is rooted in our relationship with God who cares for us through thick and
thin. Our joy is found in doing the
will of God - in learning to love God, in learning to love our neighbors as
ourselves, in finding the healing power of God for ourselves and for the world.
[1] Todd B. Kashdan and Robert
Biswas-Diener, “What Happy People Do Differently?“ Psychology Today July/August 2013: 52.
[2] Katelyn Beaty, “Happiness
Now!” Christianity Today December 14,
2010, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/december/20.65.html.
[3] Camerin Courtney, “The Power
of Praising God,” Today’s Christian Woman,
March 2001, http://www.todayschristianwoman.com/articles/2001/march/3.36.html?start=1
Fantastic sermon John. This spoke directly to my heart. Thank you and God bless you.
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